Leslie Rudd
Leslie Rudd is co-founder and benefactor of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, which he created with Kelly D. Brownell, Ph.D. The Rudd Center represents a significant expansion and extension of work on bias, stigma, and obesity which the Rudd Foundation has supported since 2000.
A successful entrepreneur for over thirty years, Rudd is a native of Kansas — a region not usually associated with fine wine. Mr. Rudd was nonetheless brought up in the wine trade. In 1949, his parents founded Standard Beverage Corporation in Wichita, which became the largest wine and spirits wholesaler in Kansas in the state. At an early age, Leslie came to understand the wine industry from an insider's perspective, learning first-hand from some of the greatest vintners from around the world. After college, he joined the family business and eventually became owner and CEO. Through his guidance, Standard Beverage Corporation grew to its current size and profitability.
Leslie attributes his success to his ability to recognize promising businesses, find the right partners and then develop these businesses into industry leaders. In the 1980's he co-founded a regional restaurant chain called Lonestar Steakhouse, which he and his partners built into a prospering national restaurant group before going public in 1992. His passion for the business of fine wine and food also led him to Dean & DeLuca, the legendary New York epicurean food store, which he acquired in 1996.
Luxury products that carry impeccable pedigrees of traditional, Old World craftsmanship have always intrigued Leslie. He employs his financial resources to bring artists and artisans together, giving them the opportunity to express the full extent of their talents.
During visits to Bordeaux in 1968 and Burgundy in 1974, Leslie was inspired to create his own California wine estate. After extensive searches in Napa and Sonoma Counties, he purchased 65 acres of prime land in Oakville - home of some of the world's most sought-after red wines. Following extensive winery and vineyard renovation, the first wines under the Rudd label were released in October 2000. Their success is a testament to Leslie’s vision and perseverance.
Leslie hopes to profoundly shift the ways in which food and wine are viewed in America. He was the primary contributor to the construction of the new wine studies facility at the Culinary Institute of America's west coast campus in St. Helena. Housed in a renovated historic building at Greystone, the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies explores the dynamics of wine and food and pursues innovative strategies for influencing an ever-evolving industry.